To convert under the auspices of a Conservative Beit Din (rabbinic court), the interested individual must:

1) Engage in a course of study with a Conservative rabbi or in a community course that adheres to the Conservative rabbi's study requirements. The length of study varies from community to community but is often between six months and one year. This curriculum also varies but often includes studying: the Jewish holidays, life cycle rituals, the Jewish approach to Bible study, the Oral Torah, Halacha and Conservative theology.

2) After this course of study, the person interested in converting meets with a Conservative Beit Din which consists of three Conservative rabbis who ask him/her questions which can range from biographical information and a short description of this person's journey to Judaism and questions about what he/she learned during his/her course of study. They may also ask what mitzvoth the person has already “taken on” and which he/she see himself/herself working toward.

3) A male convert must undergo a circumcision if he is not circumcised. If he has already been circumcised then hatafat dam is required. In this situation the mohel pricks the penis to draw a small amount of blood. Immersion in the mikvah follows.

4) A female convert must immerse in the mikvah.

These are the basic requirements. Some rabbis have the convert return to the synagogue following immersion to say the Sh'ma in front of the open Aron Kodesh holding the Torah and/or give him/her an aliyah to the Torah on the Shabbat following the conversion. However, this is a matter of personal custom on the rabbi's behalf and is not a requirement.

The simple answer is no. The Jewish ethic that informs my answer to this question comes from Leviticus 19:16, "Do not go about as a talebearer among your people; do not stand idly by the blood of your fellow person." This verse is the basis for Judaism prohibition against idle gossip, commonly included in the category lashon harah. Even when someone whats to say something negative about a person for constructive reasons there are seven conditions that the Chafetz Chayim say must be met. One of these conditions is his intention must be purely to help in the situation, not to degrade the subject or cause him shame. Certainly, the case before us is not for constructive purposes even though the colleague is taking advantage of the employer's time and actually commiting a form of geneivah, theft. Nevertheless, the questioner would only be responsible for his/her colleague misuse of his lunch hour if he was his/her supervisor or manager. If this was the situation, then the questioner should speak directly with the person taking an extended lunch hour and give him/her appropriate warnings. Only after such steps were taken could he/she report it to higher-ups.

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED IN ANSWERS PROVIDED HEREIN ARE THOSE OF THE INDIVIDUAL JVO PANEL MEMBERS, AND DO NOT
NECESSARILY REFLECT OR REPRESENT THE VIEWS OF THE ORTHODOX, CONSERVATIVE OR REFORM MOVEMENTS, RESPECTIVELY.